Various type of watercraft, such as fishing boats and other recreational boats have storage compartments for storing life preservers, fishing gear, such as tackle boxes and fishing rods, recreational equipment and other accessories. Such storage compartments are provided below bow and stern portions of the deck, and are typically opened and closed from above the deck by raising and lowering access doors or covers movably connected, such as by hinges, to deck structure. In some cases, assist devices, such as gas or air cylinders, are mounted between the access doors and the upper structure of the storage compartment to assist a user in moving an access door between an open position and a closed position when it is desired to selectively access the stored items.
Prior art storage compartments have been found to be unsatisfactory because they require a user to bend over and/or reach beneath the deck to retrieve or place storage items in the storage compartment once the access door has been opened.
Accordingly, the present inventors have found that it is desirable to provide a storage system having a storage compartment which is designed to pop up and be located so access to stored items can be obtained above the deck without bending over or reaching into the storage compartment beneath the deck.